Ashlee Altise

The juggernaut that is “American Idol” returned to the air Wednesday night for its 11th season, but it wasn’t so jugger-nauty.

First the good news (for Fox): “Idol” averaged 21.9 million for its two hours of auditions from Savannah, Ga. That was easily the biggest audience of the night and will rank as the top entertainment show of the week (not including football).

Now the bad: The ratings were down 24 percent from last season’s opener, which benefitted greatly from the curiosity factor as Jennifer Lopez and Steven Tyler were just coming aboard.

Now there’s a very real possibility that “The Voice” — with a post-Super Bowl time slot — will have a bigger opener than “Idol.” (And it will be interesting to see what kind of ratings it can generate over the season as a whole). And who knows? There might be a chance that “Idol” won’t reign as TV’s No. 1 show for the season (That honor could fall to “NCIS”).

Is viewer fatigue finally hitting “Idol”? Are there just too many singing/talent shows on TV now?

As if to respond to the emergence of those shows, “Idol” opened its 11th season with a series of nostalgic clips designed to remind us that it was the first one on the scene — that so many of its current contestants grew up with the show. (Or as TVLine blogger Michael Slazak pointed out: “They’ve been listening to renditions of ‘A Moment Like This’ and ‘Flying Without Wings’ from inside their mothers’ wombs).

As for the the actual episode, well, there was the hilarity that came with seeing a purple-clad Tyler looking like a pimp for Kool-Aid. But for the most part, “Idol” — surprise, surprise — got down to serious business, showcasing plenty of talented singers over deluded wannabes.

Among our favorites: Smoothly confident David Leathers Jr., who looked much younger than his 17 years and arrived with a fun nickname: “Mr. Steal Your Girl.” … Sweet, dreamy-voiced Gabi Carubba (a 16-year-old). … And 15-year-old beauty Shannon Magrane (daughter of former major league pitcher Joe Magrane), who had a booming voice and provoked an unfortunate assessment from Tyler’s big mouth (To Dad: Savannah is ”hot, humid, and happening — just like your daughter.”) Ick.

For the perfunctory “Idol” hard-luck heart-tugger, we were introduced to Amy Brumfield, a 24-year-old Tennessee resident who lives in a tent in the woods with her boyfriend because they’re struggling financially. Despite the hardship, she was a bundle of optimistic vibes and strong chops.

Also bursting with personality were Ashlee Altise, who displayed her own special dance (“joy-hopping”) and enough “funk, energy and confidence” to keep us smiling through the commercials, and the strangely named Phillip Phillips, who brought so much gritty ferocity to “Superstition” and “Thriller” that Jennifer Lopez wondered if he had electiricty roiling through him.

So what did you think of “American Idol” Night 1? Who were your favorites? Are you in for the long haul — or you looking more forward to “The Voice”?